Sunday, 31 August 2014

Talk about a dream assignment. Would I like
to judge a baking competition, alongside Great British Bake Off winner Frances
Quinn, involving head chefs from some of London's top restaurants and hotels? I
couldn't book the day off work fast enough.

It was all hosted by Portman Village, the
not-quite Marylebone, not-quite Marble Arch part of central London just behind
Selfridges. Local businesses have been holding a street party every summer, and
given the nation's current love affair with cake, they decided this year's
would kick off with their very own local Bake Off.

It was a blazing hot day and Portman Square
was decked out like a proper village fete: there was bunting. There were tea
urns. And - glory be - a large white marquee with trestle tables laden with
cakes and desserts.

A quick rendevouz with Frances and the
organisers to determine the rules: and
we were off, starting with best 'Native dessert'. We tucked into a gigantic
lemon ice-box pie from The Lockhart, a dream of a dessert with an impeccably
crunchy ginger biscuit base, glorious lemon curd and a vast pile of mallowy
meringue. It was difficult not to just stop right there and finish the entire
thing - but we had 35 more entries to go, and it seemed judicious to pace
ourselves.

I was particularly taken with a moist,
nutty banana bread from Daisy Green - and there was a spicy ginger molasses loaf from Lanes of
London which also scored well. A cheesecake beautifully decorated with berries
was another favourite - surviving surprisingly well in the blazing heat -
although we did deduct a few marks for the soggy bottom. Harsh - but fair.

On we went. The 'Tastiest Cake' category
beckoned - and there was one outstanding winner for all of us - The Grazing
Goat's dark, rich flourless chocolate cakes topped with a perfect quenelle of
almond-butter mousse: think peanut butter taken to the next level.

We went back
for more, just to make sure they really were that good. Daisy Green's 'Mega
banana bread' made a reappearance, this time stuffed with copious amounts of
whipped cream and strawberries. Mega was the word.

By this stage, the cookie category seemed
like light relief. Some strawberry shortcake cookies from Lanes of London
scored well for the buttery, short biscuits, but were let down by a too-sweet
strawberry filling.

Top marks went to the Grazing Goat again, for some utterly
perfect chocolate chip cookies: melting chocolate, soft centre, crisp around
the edge. Exemplary.

The contest wasn't just open to chefs: some
local businesses had also got involved - and we had especially high praise for
Zora Govorusa from Zoki Couture for her crumbly pecan-based cookies - along
with some attractive looking creations in the best Decorated Cake category.

By the end we were all surfing on a massive
sugar high and a large queue of punters were impatiently lining up, waiting to
be allowed into the tent to try the entries for themselves, once we'd awarded
the prizes. Frances and I may have sneaked back for another spoonful of the
chocolate cake - before announcing the winners. The Lockhart for their lemon
icebox pie, and the Grazing Goat for their cookies and their flourless
chocolate cakes.

By this time the square was full of the
happy buzz of families enjoying the other activities, from a 'pin the beard on
Paul Hollywood' game to stalls raising money for a local homeless charity, the
West London Day Centre. Local restaurants and cafes were staying open late into
the night, offering special menus, cocktails, special discounts and live music.

Reluctantly, though, we had to leave:
Frances and I were due at another event involving - yes - more cake. But what
an afternoon we had: I'm already looking forward to another Portman Village
Bake Off next year.

Friday, 29 August 2014

Cost: The 12-course Grand Tasting Menu was
priced at €195 per person (not including wines).

About: Martin Berasategui is the chef at
his eponymous restaurant which opened in 1993, and has held three Michelin
stars since 2001. Martin Berasategui was reviewed for this site in 2012 by one
of our contributors (see review here), and having read it, I could not wait to
pay it a visit in person.

Berasategui has nearly 40 years experience
in the industry, having trained at cookery school in France in 1977, he worked
over the next four years in several prestigious kitchens, including those of
Michel Guerard and Alain Ducasse in Monaco. In 1981 he took charge of his
family restaurant, el Bodegon Alejandro, earning its first Michelin star in
1986.

Paying my respects to the man himself - Martin Berasategui at the end of service

The restaurant occupies a large building in
a quiet suburb 20 minutes drive from the Old Town of San Sebastian. Surrounded
by lush green grass and shrubs, the dining room is situated on the raised
ground floor. It has an elegant and sober decor, with a tiled stone floor and widely
spaced tables, each covered with a starched white linen tablecloth.

Views of Martin Berasategui's restaurant grounds

On each
table was a large bowl of tall white orchids, and there was no music to
distract from anything else but the food.Service was
discreet and very efficient, all the waiters dressed in black suits and
speaking perfect English.It was truly
impressive that our waiter (Wander, from the Dominican Republic) noticed that I
am left-handed and without prompting, reorganised my cutlery and glasses
throughout the duration of the meal.

What We Ate and Drank: We opted for the 12
course Grand Tasting Menu, comprising 10 savoury items and 2 desserts. Each
dish is described on the menu with the date of its first creation, giving an
idea of the evolution of Berasategui's culinary style and inspirations from
1993 to the present day.

We also decided to have the 100% Spanish
matched wine flight.This started with a
classic Cava - Subirats Parnet Brut Nature – crisp, with refreshing acidity,
this was a really good palate refresher, and an ideal start to our lunch.

The tasting menu during our visit started
with "1995 Mille-Feuille of Smoked Eel, Foie-Gras, Spring Onions and Green
Apple". This was exquisite, with very fine layers including crisp caramel
and microns-thick slices of bright, crisp and vibrantly green apples to
contrast with the unctuous foie-gras and eel.

Next was "2001 Squid Soup" -
creamy squid ink ravioli served with squid crouton.The raviolo must be eaten whole, because it
"explodes" in the mouth! This was an intensely rich and clear lobster
consommé, with a ravioli filled with squid ink, and a crispy wafer of rice and
squid ink that brought another layer of texture to the dish.

To follow, we had "2011 Oyster with
Cucumber, Kafir and Coconut". This had the addition of chlorophyll extract
for a vivid green colour. Two plump poached oysters were perched on a cucmber
and oyster jelly, with a flavoursome coconut cream infused with kafir lime
leaf, and a judicious scattering of shiso leaf. Magnificent.

With the oyster, we had Picarana 2011, made
near Madrid from the rare Albillo grape. This grape is only used in the Madrid
D.O., and this example came from 60 year old vines. It had intense stone-fruit
flavours, richness and minerality, and great length.

With the following two starters, we had the
Trio Infernal 2011 – a delicious blend of Garnacha Blanca and Macabeu from
Priorat.

The "2013 Sautéed Black Garlic with
Beet Ceviche, Ice Radish and Raifort Cream" had mounds of purple beetroot
foam, set over a puree of black garlic, with horseradish cream. This was
visually stunning, and delicious with earthy notes from the beetroot and black
garlic, lifted by the light acidity and heat of the raifort (horseradish)
cream.

The "2009 Little Pearls of Raw Fennel,
Risotto and Emulsion" was a clever dish, with fennel served three ways.
Fennel in tiny pearls as a risotto, finely sliced for pasta, and in an intense
emulsion.

Next was the "2013 Roast Foie Gras
with Seaweed”. Resting on horseradish curd, with a fermented soy broth and
hazelnut salt, this resembled an intense Japanese dashi stock, spiked with a
hint of ginger. It was one of my favourite dishes.

With the foie gras, we had a glass of El
Rocallis 2008, made from the rare Incrozzio Manzoni grape in Penedes.

To follow, we had the "2011
Gorrotxategi Egg Resting on a Herb Liquid Salad and Dewlap Carpaccio".
This paired creamy egg yolk with paper thin pork chin, and a jade green herb liquid
salad - stunning both to the eye and palate.

With the Garrotxatgei, we had a glass of
Pagos de Galir Crianza 2009, made from 100% Mancia - a Pinot Noir like grape
from Galicia. This had intense damson-fruit characteristics, and a herbaceous
nose that stood up well to the creamy egg and pork.

Next came the "2001 Warm Vegetable
Hearts Salad with Seafood, Cream of Lettuce and Iodized Juice". Almost too
beautiful to eat, this was like a work of art. Myriad vegetables, baby leaves,
herbs and flowers of many colours were served with lobster, prawns and
scallops, over an intensely flavoured, colourless tomato jelly.

The "2013 Red Mullet with Edible Scale
Crystals, Soybean Sprouts, Wheat Semolina and Cuttlefish” was also a delicious
dish, with varied textures and flavours that was skilfully partnered with a
glass of Quinta Quietud 2005 from Toro.

Made from Tinta de Toro, this had an intense red-cherry quality on the
nose and palate, with well integrated tannin and great length.I spent a week sampling the wines of Toro
over ten years ago, and judging by this wine, they have made huge improvements
since then. It was an unusual but inspired choice for fish, but complemented
the savoury notes of the cuttlefish very nicely, without overpowering the red
mullet.

For our main course, we had the 2013 Pigeon
with Mushrooms, Caperberries, Manchego Cheese and Asparagus. The ballotine of
pigeon was meltingly tender, with just a hint of gaminess contrasting with the
crunchy asparagus and caperberries, in a rich jus.

The first dessert wasa very refreshing "2013 Blood-Orange Ice
Cream and Slush over Liquified Tubers, Muscovado Sugar Jelly, Yogurt and
Pepper", partnered with a glass of Casta Diva 2009 from Alicante, made
from 100% Moscatel, which worked well with the ice cream.

The second dessert and last course was a
more robust "2013 Mist of Coffee and Cacao over Banana with Whisky Sorbet
and Slush". This had some of my favourite flavours – coffee, chocolate and
banana, and was my preferred dessert. With it, we had a glass of sweet red
Olivares Dulce2010 from Jumilla, made
from the Monstrell grape.

Likes: The food is outstanding in skill of
execution, presentation and flavour. An elegant and beautiful restaurant and
gardens with the most impeccable service. The 100% Spanish wine flight was also
exceptionally good.

Dislikes: None.Verdict: Martin Berasategui’s grand tasting
menu was one of the most memorable meals of my life. This is an outstanding
restaurant near the beautiful seaside town of San Sebastian. With superb
service, setting, food and wine, it is in my opinion one of the best Michelin
starred restaurants in the world, and worth a trip to Spain in its own right.
Very highly recommended.

Friday, 22 August 2014

Outside it was a blazing 25°C and London
resembled a furnace on overdrive. What better day to sample an entire range of
Christmas goodies from some of the country’s biggest supermarkets and brands?
The fake snow was swirling, the cardboard reindeer were sporting painted-on
smiles, and I was game for anything.

First, Marks and Spencer- a vast array of rooms showcasing everything from stunning
winter coats to festive homeware and food. I began with the café range, and a
huge selection of different Christmas sandwiches - secretly my favourite part
of the season.

Alongside the traditional turkey sarnies
was a protein-packed three bird roast in a flatbread wrap - and an excellent
vegetarian sandwich, pairing roasted carrot with chestnut stuffing and
cranberry sauce: it was satisfying, creamy and full of flavour. Another innovation - red crisps, although I
have to say they did taste the same as the regular kind.

For the main event - along with some handy
pre-prepared vegetable sides, M&S is offering a range of turkeys, from a
ready-stuffed and rolled breast joint to a free-range bronze from an
Oxfordshire farm, and even a goose. There are some spectacular pies, too -
including one with a whole pear in the centre, which looked very dramatic cut
in half.

I was most impressed with the selection of
breads and desserts: especially a Christmas pudding boule which tasted
delicious as it was, or toasted with a decadent amount of butter - a dense,
dark and rustic loaf packed with dried fruits and a hint of spice. I’ll be
making some rather special turkey sandwiches with that one.

From a luscious
range of desserts, I loved the mini Portuguese custard tarts, crisped up after
a few minutes in the oven, a very rich and moist chocolate stollen and the
‘hero’ piece: a cone-shaped chocolate brownie fudge cake with praline frosting,
complete with ‘five gold rings’ made from spray-painted chocolate. As rich as
it sounds, it will retail for £18.

Onto Waitrose,
which was promoting the very current Middle Eastern/Asian trends: pairing
turkey with dukkah and pomegranate molasses, and some dense and fruity stuffing
balls fragrant with gingerbread and apricot. Sprouts were shredded and
stir-fried with tiny shards of bacon, and roasted root vegetables were spiced
up with an Indian inspired blend of seeds.

Chefs from the store were busy smoking huge
turkey breasts in a Green Egg smoker, which made it beautifully moist with a
good depth of flavour, paired with a scoop of smoked mash and some buttery
gravy.

The Heston range was given a room of its
own: highlights were a very rich sticky toffee apple pudding and, best of all,
a new frozen dessert called the ‘Ultimate chocolate bar’ - many layers of
chocolate, praline and caramel parfait, sandwiched by thin layers of chocolate
cake and a shiny smooth chocolate glaze. I predict that one, at £9.99, will be
flying off the shelves.

Of the other cakes and desserts, some new
square shaped mince pies were an interesting take, with brown-sugar crusted
walnuts on top, and the mincemeat mixed with apple to lighten it up. Waitrose
pastry chef Will Torrent fried up some mincemeat hotcakes, a great idea for
using up leftovers, especially served with some spiced sugar and a huge dollop
of one of the store’s alcohol-laced creams.

Over at Asda, where food and drink was displayed in giant igloos, there was
a really retro feel to the sweets and biscuits: children will love the giant
gingerbread men, and the store has been careful to keep an eye out for
cost-conscious customers - their layered chocolate cake, which serves 16, will
be on sale for a price-conscious £4. I queued up for one of their most exciting
new innovations - a 3D model of myself - the team is taking its special scanner
to selected stores around the country and for £60, you’ll be sent a ceramic
replica which looks uncannily lifelike. I heard the girl in front of me ask
“Can it make me thin?” No promises there: it’s not magic!

The Co-Op,
trying hard to rediscover its traditional values after a slightly rocky time -
to say the least - has clearly put lots of thought into its Christmas
collection. I was really impressed by a platter of six enormous scallops, ready
to be seared and finished with garlic butter - they’ll be on sale for just £5,
although they are flown in from Japan. Sustainably sourced, though.

The Co-op has also put together some decent
festive sandwiches, and a decadent range of desserts including a Christmas
pudding cheesecake studded with spices and dried fruit, with a base made of
pudding rather than biscuit, which was a novel touch.

And there was a magnificently melting whole
camembert, ready to be baked in its box, topped with pancetta and cranberries -
all of it just £3.

At the more luxury end of the scale, Fortnum & Mason showed off a magical display
of beautifully designed packaging and perfectly composed hampers: there were
magnificent pies, bejeweled chutneys, and luxury chocolates. For the ultimate
tree decorations, you can pick up an embroidered Big Ben or a London taxi.

Cheese specialists Paxton and Whitfield will also make up hampers to order, from £48 -
and other gift ideas include a cheese-making kit and a little notebook where
you can record your favourite cheese experiences.

We sampled a wonderful range of British and
European cheeses - from an incredibly creamy Italian three milk cheese called
La Tur, to St Egwin - nutty and clean tasting, and made on a farm in the Vale
of Evesham. You can complete your cheese board with some of their seeded or
charcoal crackers and some robust ale chutney or cucumber pickle.

There have to be chocolates, of course -
and for the most spectacular creation you could hope to find - La Maison du Chocolat has constructed a
vast and intricate Christmas tree: at £700, it’s certainly a work of art in its
own right. If your budget doesn’t quite extend that far, then their festive
range of chocolates won’t disappoint: a mandarin puree was sharp, intense and
smooth as velvet, while a hazelnut praline studded with dates paired the dark
chocolate couverture with a fudgy sweetness.

It’s a competitive market out there - and
the big stores and brands will be going all out to impress, whether it’s by
dreaming up new versions of traditional favourites, or providing the best
possible quality and value for money they can. All of which is good news for
consumers. And after my whirlwind preview, I'm dreaming of a bright Christmas -
as far as the food goes, at least.

Tuesday, 19 August 2014

Most days of the week, lunch can be
satisfied with a decent set menu and a nice glass of wine…perhaps a bottle, if
it’s been that sort of week. Then there are other days: when you’ve landed a
big project, when a long-lost friend is in town, when the sun is shining just
so. On those days, when you’ll want something special, Fera at Claridge’s makes
a very strong case.

Fera, under executive chef Simon Rogan,
takes over the space formerly ruled by Gordon Ramsey at Claridge’s: the dining
room, though extensively renovated, retains many of that once-lauded
restaurant’s grand Art Deco fittings. Yet Fera is somewhat softer, more
inviting: less intent on slapping you about with greatness, real or perceived.
The food reflects the environs: understated yet complex, elegant yet
playful…though less rugby scrum than a summery game of boules.

We opted for the full tasting menu (£105 +
£95 wine flight) though Fera also offers a more modest three-course lunch for
£35, sans wine, and an a la carte menu with starters ranging from £16-23 and
mains from £24-38 (as of late August…the menu changes frequently depending on
season and produce.) Whichever menu you choose benefits from Fera’s
micro-universe of growers and suppliers, including a 12-acre smallholding owned
and managed by Rogan. The result is a consistent note of freshness and care at
Fera: despite the regal surroundings, one gets the sense of dining in someone’s
very grand personal home, with all of the personal touches one might expect.

The full tasting menu we had consisted of
six snacks and eight courses. Our menu was accompanied by a traditional yet
well-judged wine flight, mostly Old World, all gentle and elegant in keeping
with the tasting menu. A la carte, Fera’s wine ranges from about £8-26 per
glass; prices start at £29 per bottle but average around £50, quickly going up
into the three and four figures from there.

Our meal opened with a lovely glass of
Bugey Montagnieu (Franck Peillot, Savoie), a sparkling wine with no added
sugar, giving it a dry, almost tangy minerality. This was a fine accompaniment
to our first snack, Puffed barley, smoked eel, ox-eye daisy, which looked very
like something you’d pick up off the forest floor – woody and gnarled-looking,
but light, crispy and smokily delicious.

Stewed rabbit with lovage cream was an
earthy delight, the rabbit encased in tiny balls of lightly fried tapioca, the
effect being the crispiest and gentlest of rabbit croquettes. Squid, alexander
and ling roe featured tender, slightly macerated pieces of squid sandwiched
between feather-light crisps of ling roe: a quick, fresh explosion of the sea.

By this point we had moved, wine-wise, to a delicately honeyed Muscadet ‘Fief
du Breil’ (La Louvetrie, Loire Valley, 2011) that paced the increasing depth
and complexity of the menu.

The squid snack was followed by perfectly
judged Scallops and peas in buttermilk served in the shell, then the arguable
star of the snack flight: a mousse of savoury Winslade cheese and potato in
which sat a tiny, flavourful morsel of duck heart, deliciously rich.

The final snack – Crab, rhubarb, verbena and pork fat – was a lovely bridge between the sturm und drang of the duck heart and the first of the main tasting courses, Aynsome soup, mustard cream, soft herbs and flowers.

Cornish lobster, pickled golden beetroot,
dittander and sea herbs was well paired with an unusual wine – Etna ‘Vinujancu’
(Vigneri, Sicily 2011): grown from black soil vines at the foot of Mount Etna,
the smoky, almost charcoal notes of this unfiltered delight came alive against
the meaty richness of the generous chunks of lobster in this course.

Surprisingly savoury was a grilled salad
course: salad crisped over embers with sunflower seeds and a truffle custard,
served in a beautiful, hand-carved wooden bowl and tossed to taste via a small
spade and fork, also hand-carved. We shifted to reds here, beginning with
Valtellina ‘Carteria’ (Sandro Fay, Lombardy 2010), made from 100% Nebbiolo,
which was a firm, licoricy accompaniment.

A highlight was Hake in caramelised
cabbage, potatoes in chicken fat with nasturtium: beautifully presented, the
title of the dish neglects the absolutely delicious crisped chicken skin that
added crunch to the firm, moist hake.

The mains concluded with Dry-aged Herdwick
hogget, beetroots and watercress, the hogget aged for 21 days and served with a
sundried beetroot jus that was absolutely wonderful. A marvellously thick,
brambly Maule Valley Carmenere (Clos Ouvert, Chile 2011) was a perfect wine
pairing and brought out the depth of the meat.

A trio of desserts finished our meal.
Pineapple weed ice cream with butterscotch and celery retained strong notes of
all three signature ingredients and made for a surprisingly delicate, and
delicious, combination.

Less successful was Hereford strawberries with
meadowsweet and linseeds: not a miss, just not a stand-out, the whole being so
subtle as to practically disappear in the mouth. Sheep’s yoghurt, milk flakes,
black cherries, Douglas fir – was held together solely by the last ingredient,
which lifted what otherwise might have been another slightly underwhelming
dessert.

The desserts were matched with two lovely
wines – indeed, head sommelier Riccardo Marcon didn’t hit an off note with any
pairing. The Arbois ‘Fleur de Savagnin’ (Domaine de la Tournelle, France 2011),
was golden, light and florally lovely; the Jurancon ‘Marie Kattalin’ (Domain de
Souch, France 2011) was buttery and ever so slightly savoury, which worked
surprisingly well with the black cherry dessert.

As mentioned earlier, Fera’s menu changes
with seasons and produce so your menu will almost certainly be different than
ours. But given the quality of ingredients and the exceptional skill in their
preparation (and the understated yet consistently attentive service) you can be
assured that your special lunch, or dinner, will be well worth it.

About Me

Born in Brazil to Japanese and Italian parents, educated in the UK, a true Londoner. Former investment banker turned Cordon Bleu trained chef, food, wine and travel writer, Japanophile and Supper Club host in Islington.

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